Heaven
by HunterJumper15
Summary: Barbaro has been put to sleep, and what he encounters in heaven changes his life as he knows it.
1. Chapter 1

All I heard was the latch that kept my stall door closed unlatch and the vet came in with Roy and Gretchen. I looked around and wondered why so many people where in my stall. The sting from my hoof rose slightly as I felt the vet's cold hand go down my leg.

"I don't think there is much more to be done. He'll never fully heal."

Roy sighed heavily. _What could that have meant? _"Alright. I guess we have no other choice then." Roy came over and petted my face lightly and looked into my eyes. I could tell what he was thinking--he was going to have me die!! Gretchen came over and I whinnied sadly.

"I know Bob, I'm so sorry that we have to do this to you. You will be much more comfortable after the shot though. You'll be in a better place." She petted my muzzle lightly then went out of the stall and again I heard the door slam closed. I looked at my leg, wrapped in a cast. _Damn leg, this is all that legs' fault. Now I'll never get to see Traffic race, teach him to run, race him against the fenceline….or see ….Tay._

I neighed loudly at the thought of Tay. I missed her so much. She cared about me more than anything. All those times we had together. Before I knew it, I was back in my paddock.

**---------------------------------------------------**

"Bob, is that you?" I heard a voice call. I was so comfy in the lush, tall green grass I did not want to get up and see who it was. Whoever it was sensed I did not want to get up and came to where I could see them. I looked up slightly, but the bright sun made the figure of another horse hard to distinguish. I sniffed the air and looked harder.

"What's wrong?" The horse standing over me asked. I knew that voice anywhere!! It was Tay!! I got up quickly, forgetting about my bad leg and then once I was all the way up I suddenly remembered it and looked to make sure the cast was out of site--but there was no cast there!! How could that be?? When I fell asleep there was one there, and now its gone??

"Bob?" Tay asked once again, stretching her neck out to sniff me. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yeah, fine, I think…" I looked at my leg again, and it looked as normal as my other three did. It felt normal too, no annoying sting or shots of pain every so often. I was healthy as the day I was born!!

"Bob, your mother had another foal!! His name is Nicanor."

"How do you know that?" I questioned.

"I watched her from here in Rainbow Bridge."

A wave of panic came over me. "Where am I??"

"Relax, you're perfectly safe here. You've been put down and you now live in Rainbow Bridge. It's very nice here and you will be here until Roy and Gretchen come and get you and take you to heaven with them."

I calmed down a little. I was with Tay, and that was heaven enough for now. I looked down and saw my lifeless body be transported under a blue tarp out of the vet hospital where I had lived ever since my accident. Then I had the strangest feeling everything was going to be alright, no more doctors, no more nasty tasting medicine, no more operations, just being a normal horse.


	2. Chapter 2

"So thats the grand tour!" Tay finished up showing me around the farm. "We can just come and go as we please, and not to mention the weather is always perfect too!"

A sudden silence fell between us. I bent my bead down and ate some grass as Tay followed too. Suddenly her head shot up, almost hitting mine. I looked around as to what could be so threatening and saw a big black stallion gallop across the field right towards us. He did not look happy either.

"Bob, run!" Tay wispered.

"Why should I? Whats he gonna do?" I questioned, fearless of this great stallion.

"Tay! I thought I told you to stay away from _'those horses'!!"_ _What could he have been talking about when he said 'other horses'?_

"Uh, um,well you see..." Tay started.

"You see, you see, **NO** you **DON'T** see. Us Jumpers have a purpose in life. Those runners have no purpose, except to make money for thair owners and then if something happens, all that happens is they die. If we get into an accident, we have loving, caring owners who nurse us back to health. Those runners got squat."

I reared up so quickly without thinking. "Listen up, fool. You don't know squat about the racing world. All you know how to do is go over poles, nothing more, nothing less."

The stallion reared up and was about four times my size. I wasn't about to back off though. I neighed as fiercely as I could and gave him a good buck in the ribs. He fell to the ground quickly and started gasping for air. Other horses gathered around to see what had happened as Tay went over to see how bad the injury was. The stallion kicked out and told her to get away from him. I'll never forget the nasty look she gave me as she ran off into the barn.

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I came into the barn late that night. I wasn't really intrested in turning in early and being the talk of the barn. So I waited until everyone was sleeping and quietly crept in. I heard small cries coming from a back stall and went to see what it was. Tay was lying down in a pile of straw, watching down on her previous owner read a book in her room. Standing there and watching her cry tore me apart. Tay was mad at me, but why? I fended off that stallion who disrespected me!!

I guess Tay saw me out of the corner of her eye. "Go to your stall, Barbaro."

Yep, she was mad. I had to tell her I was sorry, but I didn't know how. But first I had to find out why this horse meant so much to her...

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I woke up to a HUGE pile of Timothy hay!! My favorite!!! I looked in my buckets and they where filled with nice, cool water. Then there was a red bucket filled with all I could eat carrots,apples and sugar cubes here and there. As I ate my breakfast, I began to wonder about Tay, and now that I thought about it, she looked a little fatter than the last time I had seen her. _Oh its been a while, she probably just gained weight!! _But then the thought hit me. What if she was pregnant and that stallion was the sire!?!? Oh no, I hurt her foal's sire!! Maybe I shoulda just stayed away after all...

"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Tay called from my stall door. I looked up with a mouthful of hay. What a great first impression...she thinks I'm pigging out...

She came in and retreved some of the hay from my mouth that was sticking out and ate it. "There we go, nothing better than eating breakfast with your best friend in the morning!!"

"Your not mad about yesterday?"

"What? Oh, that, no not really anymore.." Tay sounded unsure of herself.

"Are you sure??"

"Yes. I'm sure, Bob. But there is something you should know about Nick.." She sounded nervous still.

"What?" I said with another mouthful of hay.

"He is my boyfriend. We are expecting a foal together in a few weeks."

I knew it!! I knew she had gotten fatter—er...pregnant!!! I felt really guilty now about hurting Nick, but he should have never disrespected me in the first place! "But what is the problem with me being a racehorse that he cant handle?"

"He doesn't like racing horses. Only Jumpers. Thats just how he was raised, to be nothing but respectful of higher class jumpers and english-bred horses. I know you where English-bred, but you where English-bred to race.."

"Is there any possible way to change his mind?" I asked, really wanting to make a good impression on Nick now.

"You could try, but like I said, English-bred jumper..." Tay finished and trotted out to the field where Nick was surely waiting for her. I finished up my hay and took a quick carrot for energy and headed out.


End file.
